Retardo? Of THE Big Three, which is your favourite? (Baldur's Gate, BGII, Daggerfall)

[Stella Brando]

Yes, here we go again.

This is not the thread to dispute which -- if any -- of the Holy Trinity here at RPG Codex isn't so holy, in your opinion. It is established as my firm opinion fact that Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall are the three greatest computer-roleplaying-games of all time; at least as established by Stella points -- the only true currency. You may mock or defy that which has been set forth before you, if you wish.

Any way, let us try to choose one of the three as rising above the others in your personal pantheon.

For, me, it's always been Daggerfall. Daggerfall was released first of the three, and it captured my imagination like no other game before it. I remember its bugs, I remember its quirkiness -- and its dungeons -- but I remember it with fond admiration, none-the-less.

The Baldur's Gate series certainly made an impression on me, but, like many of us here, it didn't de-throne Daggerfall, despite its utter brilliance in design and execution. In fact, I've never completed Daggerfall to this day. Maybe, someday, I will.

Then there was Daggerfall's bugs. This game was an absolute mess. It was so full of bugs on release -- yet I recall continuing it, oblivious to any patches to make its full playthrough a less painful venture. What an incredibly imaginative and unique RPG it was.

I've recently started a fresh run of Baldur's Gate. Using the Extended Edition, and knowing the same about what to expect out of the game as I always did, it's not forcing me to re-evaluate its position out of the top three in my mind. Daggerfall's place at the top is not in jeopardy: that's how impressive Daggefall's writing(?) dialog(?) reactivity(?) amazing openness, and general look and feel are.

Convince us why your choice of top dog belongs. What makes one of these three incredible games superiour to the others in your view?

This post is the original content of Dr. Stella Jacinda Arnhem Brando
TM (c) MMXXII

 

[Pink Eye]

I guess I like Daggerfall more because of wereboar.

 

[Comte_II]

Baldurs Gate Crispy

 

[Konjad]

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 

[JarlFrank]

BG2.

 

[octavius]

Without mods: BG 2
With mods: BG 1

 

[ELEXmakesMeHard]

Daggerfall by far. Always preferred open world single-character RPGs over isometric party-management ones. So much more immersive. And I think Daggerfall was the first game of that kind which I played.

I also have so much more nostalgia about Daggerfall. Played it a lot while my younger cousins were watching, and during sleepovers with childhood friends. And the first time I ever was on the Internet, I altavistaed something about Daggerfall.

For years my grandma would ask if I was still playing that "horseback riding game".

 

[wishbonetail]

Lionheart
Another War
Goldenland

 

[Stella Brando]

Is Lionheart set during the Crusades or just made up?

 

[Hirato]

I hate everything made on the Infinity Engine... so that leaves Daggerfall by elimination.

 

[Volourn]

BG2. No contest.

 

[Falksi]

BG2 easily.

The other two are OK, but BG2 is on another level.

 

[eli]

can u stop making stupid threads?

 

[Late Bloomer]

Daggerfall. I really enjoyed the scope of everything. Some of the dungeons were so large and complex. Nice variety of locals, monsters, and classes. It felt like such a grand adventure.

 

[SilentSeeker]

Which is the best is probably a call I'm not qualified to make, but my favorite (though I enjoyed all three) is Daggerfall. The huge scope, the stupefyingly complex character creation, the fact that you could cast levitate on your horse and fly around leaving gift piles on rooftops like a Tamrielic Santa Claus, the wild dungeons with huge underwater segments (that slaughterfish noise STILL scares me), the 3D map, the fact that quest givers could direct you to "The Fart residence in Sentinel", that the max install size was five times that of my entire hard drive at the time, use-based skill advancement, that evenwith Childguard on, you could still run across naked female NPCs just hanging out, that Hammerfell Fighter's Guilds counted as holy places for vampire damage purposes, as their culture dictated, the one dungeon that I'm pretty sure was bigger than Oblivion's entire overworld...

Some of the appeal doubtless came from me being so young, but it all combined to create a wild ride like nothing I've experienced before or since.

And the bugs! No, not like that- you're thinking "but the bugs". I mean and. Most of them were crashes and segame corruptions and quest-vital enemies spawning outside of the accessible dungeon area, but there was also walking into a store, loitering until it closed, then just taking stuff off the shelves (as the interface went from "store" to "lootable chest"), then turning around and selling it back to the shopkeeper, still standing and watching you. Or going to the status screen, clicking where the arrows on the level-up screen WOULD be, and raising your stats at any time. Or the endless tricks with the spellmaker. Or the fact that NTFS vs FAT32 processing made enemies outside of dungeons invisible, so that NEW bugs were introduced decades after the game came out. The same loveable jankiness that S. T. A. L. K. E. R. gave us, but earlier and MUCH stronger.

Daggerfall wasn't "something else", it was nine things else, and it spoke of promise and an unimaginably glorious future. Morrowind was made by sane people with a FAR better sense of project scale, but while in many ways it's a better game, Daggerfall is a better dream.

 

[King Crispy]

The thread that "Stella Brando"

(From Name To Name Date
'Stella Brando' now? Stella Brando Jul 19, 2021
Stellar Brawndo 'Stella Brando' now? Jul 5, 2021
Jacinda Arnhem Stellar Brawndo Jun 12, 2021
Stella_Brando Jacinda Arnhem Apr 18, 2021
Stalin_Brando Stella_Brando Oct 3, 2020
Stalin Brando? Stalin_Brando Jun 15, 2020
Stella Brando Stalin Brando? Jun 15, 2020
Stalin_Brando Stella Brando Dec 24, 2019
Stalin Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator Stalin_Brando Sep 13, 2014)

(Stella Brando
Arcane, Female )

is obviously mocking:

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...is-your-favorite-fallout-ps-t-arcanum.143131/

 

[Stella Brando]

To be fair, most of my name changes were not requested, they were DU having a laugh.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Somewhat, it makes me want to open a new thread titled: "Of the big two, which one tastes better? My Dick or the Eiffel Tower?"

Ok, I'll spare you that, enough shit-polls for the week year.

 

[Xelocix]

I've never played any of these. Can you add Mass Effect to the list? Thx. :D

 

[SilentSeeker]

In fact, I've never completed Daggerfall to this day. Maybe, someday, I will.

I would highly suggest that you do. The final dungeon in delightfully, almost gloriously, bugfuck, like it was a joint effort between David Cronenberg and Dr Suess.

Bonus points: the first time I got there was with a character whose primary and secondary skills were all languages. Couldn't fight worth beans at first, and died a LOT, but by the end of the game, I didn't have to fight at all if I didn't want to (save for animals and undead; you can't exactly reason with them). What other game lets you do that?

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Elder's gate of Amn, hands down.

 

[Ladonna]

I never played DF back in the day, so the BG games win by default. I generally enjoyed both of them.

 

[Humanophage]

I hate everything made on the Infinity Engine... so that leaves Daggerfall by elimination.

Why? Because of RTwP? Infinity Engine games are extremely attractive, the presentation is clear, no cutscenes, plenty of space for sensible dialogues, they have party-based combat and party-building, they are not actiony, and they tend to have well-designed encounters except P:T.

 

[Radiane]

Why is there an elder scrolls game? There needs to be Avernum3 instead, this way you get 3 isometrical games and the right answer is Avernum3 then
But Baldurs Gayt is still good game

 

[Hirato]

I hate everything made on the Infinity Engine... so that leaves Daggerfall by elimination.

Why? Because of RTwP? Infinity Engine games are extremely attractive, the presentation is clear, no cutscenes, plenty of space for sensible dialogues, they have party-based combat and party-building, they are not actiony, and they tend to have well-designed encounters except P:T.

RTwP is certainly a big part of it, it makes the combat an unmanageable clusterfuck.
P:T is to date the only one I've finished; it's not a redemption of them, but a condemnation of how badly it is balanced in the player's favour, that being an unmanageable clusterfuck doesn't matter.
Sigil's theme also constantly made me think of Vault City, and how "I'd much rather be playing Fallout 2 right now".

Also doesn't help that these games have a chronic issue with crashing whenever you set up camp.
P:T didn't do it vanilla when I played it in 2012, but did the instant I attempted to do a replay with the unofficial patch + high res patch later that year.
BG2 does it vanilla, even patched up, so I gave up after reaching some graveyard outside Amn, but that was some 20 years ago.
As for BG1, I have tried to play it a dozen times through 1998 and 2012; my last attempt involved a mod called Tutu or something.
Every single time I've given up somewhere shortly after reaching Candlekeep.

Maybe I just hate D&D.
Playing ToEE would be a good way to find out, but that has been on my todo list for ages now...

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Every single time I've given up somewhere shortly after reaching Candlekeep.

You don't reach Candlekeep, you start in Candlekeep. You probably mean Friendly arm inn, or Beregost.